Must Be a Blonde Thing
by Mr. MSTJS
Summary: Takeru's always been there for his friends, but can't help but feel completely neutral as all of them are involved in blossoming romances. A summer visit from the brash American Wallace promises to change that for the DigiDestined of Hope, and Takeru finds himself desperately confused. Rated for language, maybe adult situations later. Slash. Walkeru.
1. Hello, From America

**What the hell am I doing spawning a new story like this again? Well, I got back into Digimon recently and decided I'm going to write one on a pairing that virtually doesn't exist on , so I hope that this is something people will like! I just had a kind of 'go with it' moment. So, let me know what you all think and based on your feedback, I will do my best to update frequently. Also, new chapters of 'Hope for Knowledge' and 'His Greatest Hits' are also on the way! Thanks everyone for reading...enjoy!**

**Wish I owned Digimon, I do not.**

* * *

"Wallace?" Daisuke repeated, his tone a hearty mix of surprise and disgust.

"Yes, Wallace," Hikari declared with a look of puzzlement on her face. "Is something wrong with that?"

Takeru smiled, rolling his eyes. Of course Daisuke would find something wrong with Wallace showing up in Japan for the summer. Now he didn't just have to worry about competing with Takeru for Hikari's affections, but also the flirtatious American DigiDestined.

"Yes! I mean no! I mean…where is he even going to stay?" Daisuke looked flustered. He was trying to stay on Hikari's good side, while at the same time maintaining his 'alpha male' persona. Takeru had fancied the word 'Daisuke-eque' when such behavior came about, which was more often than not.

"Well, we made these plans over the past few days via e-mail, and it seems like he's going to be staying in the spare bedroom at Koushiro's place," Hikari explained, still looking warily at Daisuke.

He sighed in relief, perhaps having thought that Wallace might stay at Hikari's instead. "Well, I can't say who I feel sorry for more in that situation." He laughed at his own joke, while Hikari scowled at him.

"Be nice, Daisuke. There's nothing wrong with Koushiro. And Wallace is a sweetheart. I think it's going to be great having him around to hang out with this summer. Maybe you guys could play soccer with him. I heard it's not as big over in America," she went on.

Daisuke almost choked as soon as Hikari referred to him as a sweetheart. Takeru chuckled. "Calm down, Daisuke, I don't think he's gonna try to mack on your woman."

Hikari glared at him, and Daisuke began to blush. "Come on, TE! You remember how much he 'macked' on her before, when we were in America! I'd love to school that know-it-all in soccer, just wait until he gets here!"

Hikari and Takeru rolled their eyes simultaneously. As Daisuke went on and on about how much trouble Wallace was worth, Hikari inched over to her childhood friend. "He's going nuts, but what do you think about this?"

Takeru hadn't actually thought about it yet. "I, uh, well…Daisuke does have a point. He was pushing his boundaries a little when we met him. But I think it's a good idea to become closer to some other DigiDestined outside of our own group. Why exactly did he decide to come to Japan?"

"Well, he's been keeping in contact with Mimi, since they are both in America. She's spending the summer in Japan, and he thought it would be good to meet the rest of the people who helped save the DigiWorld a time or two," Hikari explained, smiling. "So she invited him to tag along. He told me earlier this week and we've been planning on how it would work out. Since he's pretty computer-savvy, Koushiro thought it would be a good idea to compare notes and offered up his bedroom. You know how kind his parents are."

"Yeah, and his mom makes some great sandwiches too," Takeru digressed. "I just hope we can keep Daisuke on a leash and hopefully nothing too crazy happens." He laughed at the thought, but Hikari looked worried.

"Me too. Daisuke has a mean streak," she said delicately, almost as if it were a thought rather than a sentence.

"You don't have to tell me that," Takeru reasoned, focusing his eyes on the wily brunette as he continued his tirade on why American DigiDestined should stay in America. "When does our company arrive?"

"Mimi said the flight should get here tonight. Jyou, Sora, and Koushiro are picking them up from the airport and they've got some sort of dinner planned. They told me to pass along the word…Taichi's going to be there, and so are Miyako and Ken."

Takeru thought about his older brother for a moment and why he wasn't included in the list of people at the dinner. "What about Yamato? And Iori, for that matter."

"Iori had plans with his mother, and I think Yamato has a gig in another town tonight…shouldn't you know that, Takeru?" Hikari asked, smiling.

Takeru blushed, feeling slightly dumb. Yamato did tell him something about a gig across the country- his band was getting rather popular lately. But because of the popularity, he had been seeing less and less of his brother, so communication between the two was rare. "Yeah, I guess I just forgot. Is he coming?" Takeru indicated Daisuke with his finger.

"If he can stop being a caveman for long enough," she replied, her smile not faltering. "Hey Daisuke, dinner tonight?"

Daisuke stopped in his tracks, blushing. "Dinner, as in, a date? I thought you'd never ask! In your face, TS!"

Takeru raised an eyebrow as Hikari broke out into a fit of giggles. "If by date you mean with all of the other DigiDestined, then yes."

It was almost comical to see the crestfallen look on his face afterwards, but he was right back to his peppy self shortly after. Takeru had to hand it to Daisuke- that guy was persistent as they come.

"Well, I'm going to head home to finish up a few things and get ready for dinner," Hikari announced. "I'll see both of you later! Taichi should message everyone with the plans, so keep your phones handy!"

"Hey, TP!" Daisuke shouted suddenly as Hikari ran off. Takeru turned to his friend, who was jogging up to him, slowly.

"What's up, Daisuke?" He didn't care that the goggle-head butchered his name anymore. At this point, it would be weird if he were to suddenly start calling him Takeru.

"You don't think Wally boy's really gonna try to make the moves on Hikari, do you?" His tone was serious, as if this were a legitimate problem that he was going to have. That sort of made Takeru nervous.

"Even if he does, I know Hikari pretty well. She's wise to that kind of stuff, she's not about to let some American guy come in and start talking roses and chocolates to her. She'll be polite, but don't think that she's returning flirtations," Takeru explained, hoping he was getting his point across in a neutral manner. "Miyako on the other hand…"

"Miyako's got Ken," Daisuke said hurriedly. "But Hikari's got me…and, well, you. But she likes me more." He grinned, attempting to convince himself of what he just said. He didn't look too sure of himself. "Well, I mean, maybe she likes us the same, which is why we need to work together in case this guy starts throwing off our groove. You with me, TG?"

Takeru smirked, wondering if he should humor Daisuke. He liked Wallace enough, but Daisuke was his friend. "Sure, Daisuke, sounds like a plan."

"Atta boy!" Daisuke smiled, pulling Takeru's hat off and mussing up his hair. "I know you can be tough when you need to be…Ken does too! I guess not all blondes are bad." He laughed at his own joke before giving Takeru back his hat and running off.

Takeru turned and began walking down the sidewalk to his apartment. With friends like Daisuke, who needed enemies?

The restaurant was a place uptown at the top of one of the city's notable skyscrapers. Takeru had been there a handful of times, but it was a bit pricey. Thankfully he had saved up some money so he didn't look like a broke teenager in front of all of the others. He even ditched his hat for the occasion, choosing instead to attempt to tame his blonde hair.

By the time he arrived, Taichi, Hikari, Miyako, and Ken were already there, which was good, because he thought he might have been running a little late. "They got delayed a little at the airport," Taichi explained, looking down at his cell phone. "Apparently something with Mimi's luggage. Her straightening iron probably got dubbed a weapon or something."

They all shared a good laugh at that. Takeru examined the table- large enough to accommodate their entire party. He wished Yamato was going to be there; it had been a while since all of the DigiDestined had gotten together like this, and it would be weird without him there to share the experience. That, and he sort of missed his older brother.

"Hey, look!" Miyako roared suddenly, standing up at her seat and pointing across the restaurant to the door. "They're here!"

Ken turned a shade of deep crimson and pulled Miyako back to her seat. "It's rude to point," he said calmly.

But she was correct. Sora led the way in, with Jyou and Mimi right behind her. Mimi smiled pleasantly and waved at us as she hurried her pace to get to the table. Finally, Koushiro and Wallace walked in, engaged in some sort of conversation which Takeru deduced had to do with words he didn't comprehend. Geniuses.

Mimi and Miyako embraced in a hug that was probably more of a submission hold on the former's part. Mimi made her rounds at the table, shaking hands with Ken and giving Taichi a kiss on the cheek. "Oh, Hikari, you're getting prettier by the week!" she smiled as she embraced Taichi's sister.

Hikari blushed. "Oh, stop, Mimi. You're the pretty one."

"I think both of you are the pretty ones," Wallace added slyly as he reached the table.

Hikari's blush deepened, but Mimi seemed unfazed. "Sounds like the flight here all over again," she teased. She finally walked over to Takeru, who offered her his hand. She looked appalled. "Really, Takeru? We know each other better than that!" And with that, she picked him up out of his seat and embraced him in a glomping hug. Takeru noticed she smelled like lavender and rose petals, which suited her well. "You've grown up too! You're handsome, just like your brother."

Now it was Takeru's turn to blush. As he looked away from Mimi, smiling, he made brief eye contact with Wallace. He would normally have thought nothing of it, but the look in the American's eye when they met each other's focus was off. Almost as if he were examining Takeru. Wallace raised one of his eyebrows and his lips upturned in a small, hardly noticeable smile, and as quick as that he was looking somewhere else. He didn't know why, but for some reason that second of eye contact was bothering Takeru.

Thankfully, his thoughts were interrupted by the late arrival of Daisuke. "Sorry I'm late, Jun had hidden my shoes and…" he froze, noticing everyone was there without him. He walked up to the table attempting to be nonchalant, but everyone's eyes were now on him.

"Daisuke," Mimi smiled politely to break the silence. "Good to see you without goggles on your head."

He responded with a wide grin. "Uh, good to see you too, Mimi. How is your boyfriend? Um, Michael?"

Mimi's smile immediately turned into a scowl, and Jyou and Koushiro both blushed at the mention of the name. "He is NOT my boyfriend! Ahem." She turned back around to the table. "Shall we?" She pulled out a chair and sat down next to Sora.

Jyou immediately sat on Mimi's other side, while Koushiro took the seat next to him. Takeru was already seated next to Hikari, but she had a seat available on her other side. He figured who would try to nab that seat. Taichi was sitting next to Sora, with Ken next to him and Miyako on Ken's other side. With Wallace and Daisuke still standing, the only two seats left were the one between Koushiro and Hikari and the one between Miyako and Takeru. Either way, dinner was going to be interesting.

Takeru's prediction came true as both of them made a beeline for the seat next to Hikari. Daisuke got there first, calling out triumphantly, "Sorry dude, I always sit next to Hikari!"

Koushiro scoffed. "And here I was feeling special." Takeru laughed, not expecting a joke from the brainy DigiDestined who had a tendency to be socially awkward.

"It's fine," Wallace responded, as if he couldn't care less that Daisuke had won. "Miyako's a beautiful girl, too, so I think I'll be great sitting next to her." He walked over to the chair next to Takeru and sat down, Miyako staring at him with a goofy grin on her face.

Ken looked frustrated. "You're drooling, Miyako." She immediately straightened up her posture and directed her attention to the menu. Sora and Taichi had a good laugh about that.

As Takeru was looking through the menu, attempting to find something within his price range, he couldn't help but casually glance to his left to see what Wallace was doing. Why did he look at him like that? Why did things suddenly become so weird?

"Noodles…or soup?"

Takeru blinked and looked over to the American. "Huh?"

"I was asking which one I should order…I'm used to American food so I'm not sure what's good around here. I do know what noodles and soup are, so might as well go the safe route. What's better?" Wallace was now making eye contact with Takeru, who was suddenly seeing just exactly how blue his eyes were.

"Well, get both. Get some ramen…it's like noodles and soup together. It's actually one of my favorite foods," Takeru explained, directing his eyes back to his own menu.

Wallace contemplated it for a moment. "Alright, thanks for the input, Takeru. How have you been, by the way? It's been a few years, I guess. Mimi was right…you grew up a little bit."

Takeru tried hard not to blush…what was with this guy? "Yeah, it's no problem. I've been good. Busy with schoolwork and all of that, but it's been kind of boring without and Digital World antics going on." He was surprised he could talk as smoothly as he was despite his sudden discomfort with the situation. If Daisuke wouldn't kill him, he would have asked Hikari to switch him seats. Then he remembered his courtesies. "What about you?"

"Ah, I've been here and there. Mostly there, though. School sucks, but we have to do it. I kind of wish I had some Digital World escapades to share with you guys, but unfortunately I missed that train," he reasoned, putting his menu down. "Although Terriermon and Lopmon are always nice to keep company, they decided to take a summer break in DigiWorld while I was here in Japan. How's, um, your Digimon?"

"Patamon's great. I haven't seen him in a while," Takeru lamented, a bit sad at the truth of the statement. In the fact that Wallace always got to see his Digimon partners, Takeru was a bit jealous.

"That reminds me," Sora said suddenly, looking at Takeru and Wallace across the table. "Mimi, Taichi, Jyou, Koushiro and I were thinking about taking a trip to the Digital World this weekend to see all of our friends. What do you guys say?"

The news lightened Takeru up immediately and he smiled. Before he could answer, however, Miyako was bellowing how excited she was about the idea, while Ken remained next to her looking absolutely mortified at the commotion she was causing. Hikari smiled as well, and Daisuke was almost on Miyako's level. Takeru pondered for a minute and decided the summer was going to be great.

The night carried on. Dinner was ordered and on its way out, and Takeru had almost forgotten any of his uncomfortable thoughts from before due to thinking about Patamon and DigiWorld. After the meals came out, though, he began noticing strange things that Wallace did. He wasn't sure to dismiss them as 'American things' or if his actions had any hidden meanings to them, but he was certain that he was getting uncomfortable with the situation.

At several points during the meal, Takeru felt Wallace's leg brush against his own. It was only for brief periods at a time, but he noticed that the contact was becoming more frequent as the night went on. Then, later, when they had finished and were table talking about how stuffed they all were, Wallace put his hand down on the table right next to where Takeru's was resting. A few minutes later, Wallace's pinky brushed against the edge of Takeru's hand.

He instinctively jerked his hand away, and then blushed after having done so.

"Sorry," Wallace said quickly. "I wasn't even paying attention. My bad, bro." He patted Takeru on his back and smiled at him in that weird, overconfident smile he had in which one of his eyebrows was cocked up. It looked mocking, almost, but somehow Takeru could tell it was sincere.

"It's cool," he replied, looking over to Hikari. She gave him an inquisitive gesture, noticing the obvious discomfort that had come across Takeru's face.

"You're quiet tonight, is something up? Normally you're talkative and happy that everyone's here," she reasoned, ignoring Daisuke's pout that she was no longer paying attention to him.

"No, everything's fine," Takeru lied. But was everything fine? Maybe all of the things he was noticing really were mistakes, and there was nothing going on except for Wallace's strange American customs. "What have you and Wallace been talking about?"

"Nothing, really," he responded swiftly. "I mean, he asked me about Patamon and everything, but other than your typical 'haven't seen you in a while' formalities, nothing."

"Yeah, I guess he might have been more preoccupied with Miyako. Maybe we should break it to him that she's with Ken, because Angemon knows neither of them will speak up," she giggled, before being drug away from the conversation by Daisuke once again.

Takeru sighed. Dinner was almost over and he was getting tired. Why was he suddenly feeling outcast in the middle of a dinner with his greatest friends? He should be ecstatic, and yet, Wallace seemed to be probing at the back of his mind no matter where his thoughts turned. All because of that look.

"…right, Takeru?" He blinked. Someone was talking to him, but he wasn't paying attention. He looked up to see Jyou smiling in his direction.

"Sorry, Jyou, I was zoned out. What was that?"

"I was telling Mimi that you're starting varsity basketball at high school next semester," he repeated, and Mimi was grinning ear to ear.

"I, uh, yeah…" he responded meekly. This garnered everyone at the table's attention, and Takeru's confidence slowly began to build back up. "I tried out and they were impressed, so…"

"Yeah, and I got on the varsity soccer team!" Daisuke interjected, never one to let Takeru have even a moment of the spotlight.

Sora laughed and rolled her eyes. "We know, Daisuke. You told EVERYONE the minute it happened. Takeru's been keeping this under wraps. How come? You know we'll try to make it to your games!"

Takeru smiled; he always loved Sora. "I dunno, just figured it wasn't a super huge deal or anything. But I really appreciate it, Sora. I'll try not to embarrass myself if you guys show up a time or two."

"I'll be at all of them," Taichi interjected. "Having just graduated, I sort of miss the high school already. Man, I can't believe how much we've all grown up since our DigiWorld experience."

"The important thing is that we're still close," Mimi added, "even though some of us are far away. I'm graduating next year, and I haven't told my parents yet, but I definitely plan to move back here to Japan to go to university."

The news was met with a bunch of smiles and laughter, and everyone was just having a genuinely good time being together. It once again occurred to him that Yamato should have been a part of this, however. "Yeah, you've got that right, Mimi."

And then the conversations picked up where they left off, and people started paying for their bills. "Well, it was super to see everyone again, but I have to study for my last final and should probably be getting home." Jyou, the ever-avid college student commented as he got up from the table.

"I should head home, too," Sora said, yawning. "It's been a long day, and I've got work early in the morning. Good to see everyone!"

"Hey, you should let me walk you home?" Taichi responded, almost as a question. "Takeru or Daisuke can take Hikari to our place, you shouldn't walk anywhere this late at night anyway."

Sora had the faintest of blushes on her face. "I mean, if you really don't mind. Thanks, Taichi."

Takeru looked over to Hikari, and Daisuke behind her, with a most pleading look on his face. He smirked; here he could choose to be the king of douchebags or be a good friend. Daisuke's crush on her was almost humorous to him at this point, and his imaginary rivalry with him over her was something the pair always found amusing. Of course, Hikari was his best friend- but that was the extent of their relationship. They did care deeply about one another, but not in a romantic way. Almost as if she were his sister or something.

"Hikari, I took you home last time. I think a big, brave man like Daisuke should brave the dangers of night time and walk with you tonight," Takeru said, smirking.

Hikari rolled her eyes and turned to Daisuke. "Oh, you really mean it? Will you walk with me, Daisuke?"

Daisuke gave Takeru a passive glance of gratitude and then puffed out his chest. "Of course I will. You won't have to worry about a thing with a stud like me around!"

Hikari winked at Takeru before standing up and heading toward the exit with Daisuke and her brother. "See you tomorrow, Takeru. It was great to see you too, Wallace!"

"What, no goodbye kiss?" Wallace asked, grinning, which earned him twin glares from Taichi and Daisuke.

"Nope, sorry dude, goodbye!" Daisuke said quickly as he yanked Hikari out of the restaurant.

"You can give me one!" Miyako bellowed, puffing out her lips, but before her American dream boy could oblige, Ken was pulling her by her collar toward the door.

"Thanks for the dinner opportunity, everyone. See you all soon," Ken said politely. He bowed and then took his uncontrollable girlfriend with him to the exit.

"Oh, well," Mimi started, understandably confused. "Um, well I guess this is everyone saying goodbye. We should all walk out together!"

Takeru looked around, noticing that it was only himself, Mimi, Koushiro and Wallace left. He sighed as he stood from the table and followed his older friends out of the door.

"Senior year is coming up after this summer holiday," Koushiro observed, as if he were talking to himself. "Well, for you and I anyway, Mimi. I'm pretty excited that you'll be moving back…we can have DigiDestined reunions more often and everything."

As Koushiro and Mimi continued their conversation outside of the restaurant, Takeru decided he should head home as well. He was pretty sleepy after the day.

"Hey, Takeru," Wallace said, jogging up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, what's up Wallace?" he asked, trying to ignore the contact. This really must be an American thing.

"I didn't know you were a good basketball player," he said, smiling. "We have that back in America, it's pretty big. I'm gonna be here all summer, d'ya think we could play sometime? I could probably show you a few cool new tricks."

Takeru was sort of surprised at his offer, but for some reason it also made him smile. "Yeah, sure thing Wallace. I guess I should warn you, there's probably not much you can show me. I think I might be able to show YOU some tricks, though."

Wallace grinned and patted him on the back. "Atta boy! I was wondering how somebody could be such good friends with Daisuke and not know how to do a little shit-talking."

Takeru returned the smile. "Can't let Daisuke have all the fun, now, can we?"

"Hey, Wallace! You ready to see where you'll be staying the rest of the summer?" Koushiro called. "I'm going to set up a LAN later, if you're interested."

"Yeah, Shiro, that sounds great!" Wallace replied. He looked back to Takeru. "So, I'll see you around? Looking forward to our b-ball encounter, dude! Have a good night." He reached his hand up and messed up Takeru's hair playfully before turning around and bolting off toward Koushiro.

Takeru stood there, a bit dumbfounded. What exactly had gone on tonight?

"Well, are you going to just stand there, or are you going to walk a lady home?" Mimi asked, her smile deceiving her bratty question.

"Oh, uh, of course Mimi. Just, uh, where is home?" Takeru asked, thinking about that for the first time since she arrived.

"Sora's…I would have left with them, but I think Taichi was trying to have a 'moment', and I wasn't about to mess up any potential romances."

"Let's head off, then," Takeru replied before Mimi took it upon herself to lock arms with him as they walked down the street.

"What do you think about Wallace?" she asked suddenly, which, all things considered, threw Takeru completely off guard.

"He's…American. And a pretty chipper guy, I guess. A little on the weird side, but friendly nonetheless."

"He's not like that with everyone, you know," Mimi said, as if she were trying to get at something.

"I guess I'm just special, then," Takeru joked as they neared the block to Sora's place. "I had met him before…a couple of years ago. He doesn't seem to have changed too much."

"Right. Well, it seems like you two will become good friends. It just warms my heart to see DigiDestined from across the world unite like this," Mimi continued, in her melodramatic way of 'Mimi-ing' everything up.

"Like you and Michael, right?" Takeru dared to ask.

"No, not like me and Michael!" she snapped immediately. Takeru looked the other way. Sore subject, apparently.

They neared Sora's house, and Mimi gave Takeru a kiss on the cheek for walking her home and a goodbye hug that was way too powerful to have meant to be endearing. He smiled as she walked in, but he wasn't sure if it was because his friends were back in town, or if it were the prospect of having an interesting new person like Wallace suddenly pop up into his life.

Either way, the summer was going to be interesting.


	2. Friendship, Officially

**Came out with this one fast! It's shorter than the last one, but things are continuing to build up for our two blonde protagonists. Thank you everyone for reviewing this story, and I hope I don't disappoint you with this pairing. I want to make it seem real and get a lot of fans, so hopefully I'm doing it right! I just updated 'His Greatest Hits' as well, which is, well, a much sadder story than this. I hope you all like this chapter, and please review to let me know how I'm doing!**

Takeru hadn't seen much of anybody for the remainder of the week, mostly due to finishing up all of the loose ends of

his spring semester from his freshman year of high school. He had one final left and he felt he did pretty well on it, though there could always be room for improvement. The weekend crept up on him, and aside from a few texts from Yamato, Hikari, and Daisuke, he had been pretty out of the loop regarding their trip to the Digital World. But that didn't make him any less excited at the prospect of seeing Patamon again.

Saturday morning couldn't have arrived fast enough for him, and he woke up fairly early in order to get dressed, get a good lunch packed and head to the store to buy some provisions for everyone. Sora had sent out a chain text urging everyone to bring at least one item of food for everyone else so that they could have a 'picnic' of sorts with their Digimon.

He headed to the market down the street from his place that Miyako's family owned and bought several bags of chips (different flavors for different tastes) and decided that that would be enough for his contributions. They were to meet at Koushiro's house where everyone would go into the DigiPort together. That prospect made him a little nervous.

He had been thinking about Wallace way more than he should have over the past few days, and couldn't help but get goosebumps when he recalled the American's subtle touches throughout their dinner. He was confusing the shit out of himself, needless to say, and he knew Wallace would be at Koushiro's because that's where he was staying. Takeru hoped he wasn't the first person to arrive, but then again he could always converse with his nerdy pal from adventures past if he didn't want Wallace's attention.

With his pack and bags of chips in tow, Takeru headed up the elevator of Koushiro's apartment building and walked down the hallway to the place he had been countless times before entering the Digital World. He rang the doorbell and Mrs. Izumi answered with her pleasant, motherly smile. "Good morning, Takeru. How have you been?"

"Great, Mrs. Izumi, how are you and your husband?" he returned politely.

"We're fine, just getting Koushiro ready for his senior year, and then it's off to university for him! It's good to see you again, dear. I'm almost done with the brownies for your little picnic today. Koushiro and Wallace are up in his room, if you would like to head that way."

Takeru nodded and headed towards Koushiro's bedroom. His parents were always two of the nicest people he had ever met, and he considered Koushiro extremely lucky to have such caring people. He remembered how extremely supportive they were of all of the DigiDestined's activities during the initial battle with Myotismon and the Dark Masters. He was pulled from his thoughts when he happened upon the bedroom, the door wide open.

"Hey, Koushiro," Takeru greeted, looking into the bedroom to see his friend typing away maniacally at his laptop. Wallace was sitting on Koushiro's bed, reading a book. It was in English, so he assumed he had brought it from home. "Hey, Wallace."

"Heya Takeru," the American replied, giving him his signature smirk. "You're the first one here…about ten minutes early. Guess you were just too excited to see us, huh?"

Takeru rolled his eyes and grinned. "If by 'us', you were referring to the Digimon, then yeah, absolutely." He walked into the room and noticed Koushiro hadn't taken his eyes off of the computer. "You okay there, Koushiro? I brought enough chips to feed a Monochromon."

Wallace laughed at the joke, and Koushiro nodded, turning to view Takeru. "Hello, Takeru, sorry. I've been caught up in this program. I'm trying to find a decent location in the Digital World for our visit, and to ensure that all of our respective Digimon are going to be present when we arrive. Getting Terriermon and Lopmon was a particular task, since they weren't really near any of the others, but I'm thinking that everything's going to work out." He turned back to his computer and continued typing. "We have to wait for everyone else, so just go ahead and have a seat on my bed until I finish up here."

Takeru looked over to the bed, where Wallace grinned and patted the area next to where he was sitting, indicating for Takeru to come and sit down. Takeru once again lamented that this kid was pretty weird, but he set down his belongings and obliged. "Your mom's brownies smell delicious, by the way."

"I know! She's been cooking all week, and let me tell ya, enjoying Japanese cuisine in a home-cooked fashion is the way to go. I'll have to introduce you guys to some neat American dishes one day," Wallace contributed, setting his book down.

"What're you reading?" Takeru asked, eyeing the book.

"It's called 'Catcher in the Rye'. It's a classic American literature piece, and it's a great story. A lot of people my age think it's boring, but it's definitely one of my favorite books," he answered, picking the book up. "I can let you borrow it when I'm finished if you ever want to give it a shot."

Takeru laughed. "Thanks, Wallace, but I want to spend my summer doing things that I'm not required to do during the semester. My brain needs time to have fun, and I'm taking it easy this summer. Hopefully we can go to the DigiWorld more often than once."

"Suit yourself," Wallace shrugged, tossing the book to his side. "Hey, Takeru. I forgot to ask…how long have you and Hikari been dating?"

Takeru almost choked at the question, and even Koushiro turned away from his activity to raise a questioning eyebrow. "What? What gave you the idea that we're dating?"

"Well, you're always together, and you both clearly have feelings for one another, so I was just making an obvious assumption." He smiled and nudged Takeru on the shoulder with one of his fists. "I guess I guessed incorrectly, huh? Are you two just keeping it under wraps so Daisuke doesn't blow a gasket?"

Takeru suddenly wanted to hit this kid. "Uhh, no. Hikari and I are best friends, sure, but we're not romantically interested in each other. And believe me, Daisuke is just paranoid. He thinks Hikari hung the freaking moon. If he wants to date her, I'm not what's preventing that from happening. In fact, I would be ecstatic if that ever happens, cause then he'll get off of my case." Then Takeru thought of something. "Wait, do you have a thing for her?"

Wallace had the slightest blush on his face, but any hint of discomfort he had faded in an instant and was replaced by his overconfident smirk. "She's cute, sure, but she's way too nice for a guy like me. I guess you could say she's not really my type."

"The way you flirt with her could say otherwise," Takeru countered, wearing a smirk of his own.

Wallace arched an eyebrow. He seemed interested in the conversation now, and Koushiro was trying his best to keep his attention focused on whatever it was that he was doing. "That's just how I communicate with girls. They appreciate the special attention, and I appreciate their responses. It's harmless. Well, in most cases. It's how I talked to Mimi, and of course Miyako, though now that I've learned that she's taken I should probably back off of that. And then there's Sora, but I'm kind of afraid of what your buddy Taichi will do to me if I keep that up."

"Must be an American thing," Takeru sighed. "So, then, Wallace, what exactly is your type?"

Wallace seemed to ponder the question for a minute. "Haha, you wouldn't believe me if I told you, Takeru. It's not like it matters. I'm here to make friends, not go after girls."

Takeru was sort of intrigued by that answer, but decided he would rather not pursue it further. He was afraid of where it might lead to. "That's a good plan. Made any friends yet?"

"Well, there's Koushiro. But we were sort of already friends before this summer. I've been keeping in good touch with Hikari in the years since we've met too, and then of course Mimi. But other than that, not really. Unless you count me 'sort of' meeting you, Daisuke, Iori and Miyako all of those years ago."

"Maybe Daisuke, you two seemed to be pretty good friends after that stint in America we had," Takeru lamented, looking up to Koushiro's ceiling.

Wallace knit his eyebrows. "Is that your way of saying that you and I aren't friends, Takeru?"

Takeru flinched; there was something about the way Wallace said his name. "I mean, we've talked more today than probably the entire time I was in America with you, and we haven't spoken since then aside from dinner. But we're DigiDestined, so I guess I wouldn't be against becoming your friend." Takeru thought that sounded weird. "…if you want?"

"Never thought of it that way," Wallace pondered. "But yeah, I guess that sounds like something that would be cool. You can never have too many friends. Let's make it official."

"Make what official?" Takeru asked, honestly confused. How does one make a friendship 'official'?

"Our friendship. We have to seal the deal with a handshake or fist-bump or something like that," he offered. He raised his fist and held it in front of him, his knuckles out.

Takeru raised an eyebrow. "Weird American things again. I'll bite." He did the same thing as Wallace and connected fists with him.

Wallace smiled. "Yup, we're friends now. Get used to it, buddy."

"It might take some getting used to," Takeru admitted, smiling. Where the hell was everyone else?

Just as if someone were answering his prayers, he heard the door in the other room open and several people walking into Koushiro's house. A few seconds later, Hikari, Taichi, Sora, and Mimi were all flooding into Koushiro's room, all with bags of goodies of their own.

"Mom wanted to make some broccoli fudge cake, but I told her Mimi was on a diet, so instead we just bought some chocolate chip cookies from the store," Taichi smiled.

"Did he just say 'broccoli fudge cake'?" Wallace asked.

"Taichi and Hikari's mom…well, maybe we'll just let you figure that one out for yourself, bud," Takeru said, smiling. "Hey, Hikari."

"Hey Takeru, Wallace," she smiled. "I also brought a bunch of juice and candy for the Digimon. I know how they love their sweets."

"Mimi and I spent all morning making lots of sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly and ham and cheese," Sora explained, holding up an old-fashioned picnic basket.

"And I didn't even chip a nail," Mimi added, looking fabulous as always. "How are you doing, Takeru?"

"Oh just fine," Takeru said, although he was unsure if he was actually doing fine or not. "Maybe a little out of it, but I'm excited to see Patamon!"

"Mhm, I can't wait to see the look on Palmon's face when she sees me!" Mimi responded, drifting off into dreamland. "What are you up to, Koushiro?" She moseyed over to his computer and began to talk to him, pretending as if he weren't trying to concentrate on whatever it was he was trying to do.

A few moments later, and Iori, Ken, and Miyako were at the door. "Hey everyone, sorry I missed dinner the other night."

"It's okay, Iori, good to see ya pal! You've gotten taller since the last time I saw ya," Wallace commented, sitting up from his position on the bed.

"Yeah, I've been getting taller the past few months. Grandpa says it's the prune juice, but I'm thinking it's just puberty."

Everyone shared a good laugh at that, and Miyako busted through the door, hyped up even by her standards. "Are we going to the Digital World or are we just gonna stay in here like cramped up sardines?" She had four full bags of things from the convenience store.

"Calm down, Miyako, there are still a few of us not here," Ken replied, in his normal cool tone. Sometimes it was difficult for Takeru to remember that he was the Digimon Kaiser.

"We're here now," came a cool voice. Takeru immediately lightened up and was surprised to see when his older brother came walking through the door, followed closely by Jyou, who had his first aid bag around his shoulder. Good ole Jyou.

"Yama!" Takeru called, smiling. "I'm glad you could make it!"

Mimi all but squealed and ran over to him, giving him an enormous hug. "Oh, Yamato, you're even prettier than I remember!"

"Girls are pretty, Mimi," Yamato sighed, but returned her hug anyway. "Good to see you too. And you, too, Takeru. I wouldn't miss this opportunity for the world. I haven't seen Gabumon in forever."

Takeru was elated at this point- seeing Patamon and his brother all at once was a dream come true for him. He knew this was going to be a good summer. He then noticed Wallace all but gawking at his older brother. "Take a picture, it'll last longer," he muttered, quiet enough that only Wallace could hear him.

"Wha…I mean, I just didn't know that that's what your brother looked like. He's like, a rock star, or something," Wallace said, a faint blush on his face.

"Well, he's trying to be," Takeru smiled. "So, that's your type, huh?" He was now making Wallace feel uncomfortable, which was kind of fun.

"As if," Wallace smirked, his cool demeanor returning instantly after his second of vulnerability. "He seems like a pretty cool dude. I guess it just runs in the family."

Takeru was once again caught off guard by the sly American. "Um…thanks."

"Can we go yet…everyone who matters is here!" Miyako called, triumphantly.

"I'm actually finished up with the coordinates," Koushiro added, "so yes, we can go."

"Wait!" Iori called, ever the caring one. "Daisuke isn't here yet!"

"I said everyone who matters," Miyako repeated dejectedly, crossing her arms in impatience. "I just want to eat and see Hawkmon! Daisuke's gonna be late to his own funeral."

"I heard that!" the familiar obnoxious voice called, as he bolted in through the door. "And I'm here…I brought enough jellybeans to last a whole month!"

Koushiro rolled his eyes. "Alright, then if we're ready…DigiPort open!"

The computer glowed as a bright light shot out and engulfed all thirteen of them in the bedroom, which was pretty much filled to capacity. They were all absorbed into the computer, and as they passed through the Digital Gate, Takeru could have sworn someone grabbed his hand.


	3. That American Look

Sooooo. Sorry. Again. I'm terrible. But here is Chapter 3. A bit slow, but definitely developing characters, and at least shows how I intend to initially portray the two main characters. Hopefully you guys enjoy this and keep reading. I have another part written, but I'm not sure when I'll get it up. Please enjoy and review. Motivate me, and show everyone how much this pairing has to offer!

* * *

As the portal to the Digital World deposited them into the place that they were all so familiar with, Takeru could hear all of the joy and excitement from the others around him. Unfortunately, all he could do was stare dumbly at his hand, wondering just who the hell chose to grab it briefly while they were being transported, and, more importantly, why. He could write it off as being Yamato or Hikari or even Mimi, but none of them were anywhere near him when they entered the DigiPort. Only Miyako and Wallace, and Miyako was on the wrong side of him.

To make matters worse, Wallace looked over to him with his signature smirk. "Something on your hand, bud?"

Takeru tried his utmost not to blush, but his body was once again betraying him. What was _with _this guy? He couldn't keep chalking these weird touches and expressions to being an "American" thing, could he? "Nothing, just, uh…"

Thankfully he was cut off by a familiar orange winged pig bolting straight towards his face. And glomping it. "Takeru! Takeru! I missed you!"

Takeru tried to respond, but Patamon was blocking everything he attempted to say, so he pried the little creature off of his face and held him out in front of him. Takeru let out a grin that showed the happiness he hadn't felt since the last time he saw his Digimon partner. "Heya, Patamon! You've gotten heavy, buddy! Have you been eating your protein?"

Patamon broke free of the grip and fluttered in front of him, crossing his arms. "For your information, I've been on a diet. Palmon told me it would help out with my figure, whatever that means. I think it's something she learned from Mimi." He flapped around Takeru's head, his smile returning to his large, orange face. "You've grown up a lot, Takeru!"

Takeru grinned. "Yeah, well, that happens in the real world. We're all getting bigger, and you guys just stay the same." The prospect actually made Takeru kind of sad. Now that they were all growing into adults, they had less time to spend in the Digital World with their partners than they used to. And it would keep getting worse, he knew. But he wasn't going to let that ruin his day; he knew no matter how stressful the real world became, he would always make time for Patamon. After all, look at everything they had been through together.

Any further reminiscing he and Patamon were about to do was cut off by an obnoxiously loud "I'M ABOUT TO PASS OUT FROM STARVATION!" courtesy of Miyako.

"I see you still have your powerful volume," Hawkmon replied flatly, his wings covering his ears.

"She's right, and we brought lots of food," Taichi offered, motioning for Sora to roll out the picnic blankets.

"Do you guys think we're actually going to have a picnic without any monsters attacking? Because it seems like we're like bad Digimon magnets when we come here," Hikari said lightly, though everyone could tell it was only half a joke.

"Pssh, who's afraid of monsters when I'm here to protect you?" Daisuke asked brashly, puffing out his chest. This would be one of the gestures Takeru dubbed "Daisuke-esque".

Tailmon took the opportunity to leap up onto Daisuke's head, slamming his goggles over his eyes with her claw. "Protecting Hikari's my job, you weirdo. You just worry about not strapping your goggles on too tight!"

Everyone shared a laugh at that while they helped roll the blankets and prepare the picnic. Takeru smiled; it was good seeing everyone with their Digimon partners laughing and enjoying a nice day in the Digital World. There was something blissfully nostalgic about it, and events like these were so rare since they saved the Digital World the second time (or was it only the second time?) He lost count, and some of their heroics blurred together. After all, he was very young for a lot of it.

The meal went as expected; everyone was bonding wonderfully with their Digimon partner, and it looked like they couldn't be happier. Ken, Wormmon, and Hawkmon sat silently eating while Miyako went on about something or the other that happened to her the day before. Mimi and Palmon spent half the meal sobbing over their reunion and the other half giving beauty tips on how to maintain hair and, well, roots. Sora, Piyomon, Taichi, and Agumon seemed to be wrapped up in nostalgic conversation, and Takeru couldn't help but smile as Yamato played a few songs on his guitar for a very intrigued Gabumon.

Koushiro was showing Tentomon the upgrades he got for his pineapple laptop, and Gomamon was busy rummaging through food that Jyou warned him against eating for his health. Iori thought it impolite to talk while eating, and as such instructed Armadillomon to eat silently as well. Daisuke, on the other hand, had no qualms talking with a mouthful of food with Veemon, who did his best to emulate his human partner. Hikari was delicately rationing her food between herself and Tailmon, who seemed especially elated to see her partner again.

As they sat, ate, and reminisced, Takeru couldn't help but once again glance over to Wallace, who was the stranger to this sort of situation. Terriermon and Lopmon had found their human partner, and they seemed to interact very well with the other Digimon, but Wallace was being uncharacteristically silent throughout the meal. He sat off to the corner, eating a bit of a sandwich Sora made, just staring off into the Digital sky.

"You okay, Takeru?" Patamon asked suddenly, having finished a packet of juice from Miyako's supermarket.

"Yeah, buddy, why do you ask?"

"You keep staring at that American kid," Patamon offered bluntly, grabbing a cookie from one of the baskets. "Does he bug you? Terriermon and Lopmon are pretty cool."

Takeru rolled his eyes, grinning down at his partner. He forgot that Patamon could read him as well as Hikari could. "No, nothing like that. Just wondering how he's taking all of this in. He just met a lot of us, and I'm guessing this is the first time he's seen of our Digimon."

Wallace's ears perked up at the mention of him, and he glanced over toward Takeru and Patamon. He took that as a cue to get up and walk over to the duo, sitting down with half of his sandwich left. "Just can't keep talking about me, huh, Takeru?"

"You're so weird," Takeru replied, grinning to signify his joke.

Wallace cocked his eyebrow and looked down at his sandwich. "So, is anyone gonna introduce the new guy to these Digimon?"

Gomamon took that as an opportunity to crawl out of Jyou's food bag and hop over to the American. "Heya, I thought you looked new. And you kinda smell different. Not in a bad way, at least I don't think. Kind of like a more mountainy smell… do you live outside?"

Jyou grabbed his partner, and smiled apologetically at Wallace. "You'll have to forgive him, he has the social skills of a lion with rabies. Anyway, this is my Digimon partner Gomamon. Gomamon, this is Wallace, from America. Probably why he smells…uh, different."

Gomamon offered a claw up to the blonde. "Nice to meet cha!"

Wallace took the claw clumsily and shook it, his grin never once faltering. "It's a pleasure, Gomamon. You're like, what, a seal…dog?"

"What's a seal dog?" Veemon asked. "Is it like a hot dog?"

"Forget I said anything," Wallace replied. He must not have been used to the naivety that Digimon had when it came to the human world.

"Wallace, this is my best pal in the world, Agumon! He's saved our asses a time or two," Taichi broke in, and Agumon stepped forward, his big orange mug grinning as much as Takeru remembered.

"Hi Wallace! Great to meet you!" Agumon yelled.

"Yeah, I remember you from that huge internet battle," Wallace said, "that was my first ever interaction with Digimon. I'll never forget. You and Gabumon, right?"

Yamato's shy Digimon nodded in Wallace's direction. "That's right. I'm Gabumon, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"He's stoic," Wallace noted, waving in the wolf Digimon's direction.

"Just like Yamato," Sora added. She held her hand up, and Piyomon fluttered above her head, her beak in a huge smile to greet the American. "Wallace, this is my dear friend, Piyomon."

Wallace and Piyomon exchanged a slightly less-awkward handshake than the one he had with Gomamon. "Is that everyone?"

"Not me," Tentomon chimed in. "But I guess you had to save the best for last."

Wallace examined the extroverted insect Digimon for a moment. "You have to be Koushiro's partner. What a perfect match."

"Correct, although I'm unsure if I should take that as a complement," Tentomon responded.

"Thanks a lot," Koushiro retorted, halfheartedly, as he was doing something on his laptop.

As soon as the introductions were complete, and everyone felt a little more connected to Wallace, they went back to their own conversations, but Takeru couldn't help but notice that he remained over next to him. He figured he would at least attempt to piss Daisuke off by making a pass at Hikari, but that wasn't happening either. And then there was still that hand-grabbing thing that was bugging him. Like, really bugging him. But why was he letting it get to him so much? Maybe it was just a friendly gesture that they did in America. Yeah, that had to be it.

"So, Takeru, I have to ask," Wallace began, giving Takeru instant goosebumps. He had no idea where this was going.

"…shoot."

"You don't look very Japanese. I mean, I can tell you're obviously from Japan, but you and your brother have way more Western features that the others, and, well, you're blonde, like me. That's not something you see in Japan too often…so what gives?" He looked at Takeru expectantly, and then quickly followed up with, "if you don't mind me asking."

Takeru felt somewhat relieved. "Oh, yeah, I guess that would be sort of confusing. Yamato and my mother's family are from Europe, and she's blonde. I guess her genes were dominant over our dad's and we got the blonde hair, blue eyes, ya know? We actually used to get it a lot, but now it's not such a deal anymore. Unless, like you, you're not used to it. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious is all. And yeah, that makes sense, I figured it was something like that," Wallace responded, his eyes moving from Takeru to Daisuke and Hikari. "It's kind of funny, watching him try so hard, yeah?"

Takeru felt a small twinge of annoyance, as if the American were taking a jab at his friend. Well, as much of a friend as he could consider Daisuke, anyway. "Daisuke's got his share of flaws, but I have to admire the guy for his commitment. Hikari, soccer, and the Digital World are the three things he's passionate about, and damn, is he passionate about them. I think it says a lot about his character." He was actually surprising himself about how highly he just spoke of his so-called 'rival'.

Wallace gave him that look once again, forcing him to look downward to avoid blushing. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you had some feelings for Daisuke."

_That _made Takeru blush. "What?! I mean, yeah, I do have some very, um, _strong _feelings towards him, but not in the way you're referring."

Wallace chuckled. "And how do you know exactly what I'm referring to? Someone's a bit presumptuous." He paused for a minute. "You sure it doesn't bug you how much he talks to Hikari?"

Takeru was beginning to get irritated. "No, I told you before. Hikari's like my sister. If Daisuke wants to chase after her, I say let him until either his legs collapse or he actually catches her. It's a show for me, either way, and hey, if he makes her happy, then I'm happy for them. I want what's best for her, and well, he needs some love in his crazy life too."

"Strangely poetic of you," Wallace offered, staring off into space again. "So, Takeru, do you have your eye on anyone, then?"

"You're awfully interested in my personal life," Takeru replied shortly, noticing Patamon awkwardly observing the conversation while enjoying some gummy candies.

"And you're awfully defensive," Wallace returned, his demeanor not once shaking. "We're 'friends' now, remember? This what friends do…they learn stuff about each other. But maybe that's just an 'American thing'."

Takeru couldn't tell if he should actually feel bad, or if Wallace was just the best talker he had ever encountered. Either way, he _was _being slightly defensive. "Yeah, that's my bad. I'm just not exactly what people would call an 'open book'. You're more like to get the instant life stories from Daisuke, Miyako, or Mimi."

"I already know more about you than you think, bud," Wallace said, not making eye contact. He was watching Terriermon and Lopmon play with Veemon and Tailmon out in the field. "I don't know if Hikari told you, but we've been chatting for a while via e-mail. She talks very fondly of you. Like you're some sort of golden boy, or something."

Takeru couldn't help but hear a twinge of resentment in the American's voice. "Or something, is more likely. You can believe what you want, but I'm not what you'd call a 'golden boy'. Just a victim of circumstance. I guess you could say I have layers."

Wallace glanced over at him. "You're not gonna start quoting Shrek, now, are you?"

"Quoting what…?"

"Shrek? Big green ogre, Mike Meyers, flying-talking Donkeys? Never mind, I keep forgetting that you guys watch anime and read manga here," Wallace said dismissively. "Anyway, it's just a generalization. Even your Digimon turns into an angel…that's got to count for something, yeah?"

Takeru was still trying to put together that bit about flying donkeys and ogres when he processed Wallace's comment. "Yeah, Angemon…he's a badass. But I'd say we've all helped save the world in our own way, some more-so than others. I just had a small role in it all."

"Small role? Are you kidding me, Takeru?" Taichi asked, having heard that last bit of conversation. "Who saved our asses from Piedmon? We'd all still be chained to that maniac's backpack if it weren't for you and HolyAngemon!"

Takeru smiled at the memory. One of his proudest moments, true, but he didn't want to overshadow anything anyone else did. "We all saved the DigiWorld, Taichi. I guess if you cry enough, you can get your Digimon to evolve to the next level."

Wallace was more intrigued than anything at this point. "Wait, so _you _defeated Piedmon?"

"HolyAngemon defeated Piedmon, with everyone else's help," Takeru corrected, suddenly uncomfortable with all of the attention on him.

"Give yourself some credit, Takeru," Hikari interjected. "You saved us both that night! I knew we'd be great friends after that. You were so brave!"

"If I would have been there, you better believe there wouldn't have even been a need for Angemon to Digivolve!" Daisuke exclaimed, his jealousy showing painfully.

"Come off it, Daisuke," Iori said softly. "Let Takeru have a moment, for once."

"But, but…" Daisuke began, but he sat down sheepishly after receiving a stern look from Hikari.

"It's cool, guys. I'm sure Daisuke would have made a difference if he were there," Takeru said to soften the blow. Anything to get the attention off of him for a moment.

"Can Patamon still Digivolve to his Mega form?" Wallace asked.

Koushiro spoke up before Takeru had a chance to answer. "Unfortunately, Tailmon and Patamon had their evolution to Mega only during that rare circumstance in America. While they both have the ability to digivolve to Mega, it's never happened again. I can't place my finger on it…Tentomon and the others can't reach Mega either. Only Agumon and Gabumon, and Veemon and Wormmon when they Hybrid Digivolve. I'm still trying to work out a mechanism. I'd love to see Tentomon fully evolved."

Talk went off on the topic of Mega evolution once again, and Takeru was left out of the spotlight, thankfully. The picnic finished not long after and Mimi and Sora took the liberty of cleaning up the blankets, while Hikari and Iori packed up what remained of the food. The day was still young, and of course nobody was ready to go home, so they opted for exploring the land and finding some of their old hangout spots.

They decided they'd split up, six and seven (partners included), and go two different ways to try to track good spots, and they'd meet up back in the original spot. Takeru was going to travel with Daisuke, Hikari, Mimi, Jyou, and, to his dismay, Wallace. They said their goodbyes to the other group and headed off in their respective directions.

And no sooner than they started walking, Wallace lulled to the back of the group where Takeru was walking, and began starting up small chat again. Takeru was beginning to wonder if Wallace just didn't like the conversation with the others or if he was really adamant about this whole friendship thing. For whatever reason, he seemed to find Takeru more enjoyable to converse with than even Hikari. Which was weird, but Takeru thought it was okay.

But suffice to say, the most interesting part of the day had yet to come. And things wound up taking a turn for the weird.


End file.
